Process for the treatment of wicks for increasing their inflammability.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEX HAASE, OF HANOVER, GERMANY.

PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF WICKS FOR INCREASING THEIR INFLAMMABILITY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

[0 all whom, it may concern- Be it known that I, ALEX HAASE merchant, a subject of the German Emperor, and a resident of the city of Hanover, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Process for the Treatment of WVicks for Increasing Their Inflammability, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to the method of facilitating the lighting of candles and tapers made of stearin, wax, paraffin, or other suitable material by impregnation of the free end of the wick with a more readily combustible substance.

The object of the improved method hereinafter described is that the treated wicks are less subject to spontaneous ignition by means of blows or pressure, are absolutely free from poison, and in every way harmless and give out no unpleasant smell in burning.

According to my invention the Wicks which are to be employed are to be impregnated at those ends which are not to be embedded in the substance of the candle by means of dipping or in other suitable manner with a solution of celluloid in acetone. As

this solvent materialacetoneis quite liquid and evaporates very readily at ordinary temperatures, a very short period of drying in the air suffices to fix in the cotton fibers of the wick a thin permanent coating of celluloid, which by reason of its high degree of inflammability sufiices to light the therewith impregnated wick in a rapid manner when brought in contact with a burning match.

I am aware that candle-wicks have been surrounded with a small tube of celluloid for the purpose of ready ignition, and I do not claim the use of celluloid broadly; but

I claim 1. A method for increasing the inflammability of the wicks of candles or tapers, consisting in treating their ends before the candles or tapers are formed about them, with a solution of celluloid in acetone, and evaporating the acetone.

2. A Wick having its free end impregnated with celluloid dissolved in acetone.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEX HAASE.

Witnesses:

LEONORE RAsoH, ANNA DIPPEL. 

